Uchiha Fire Style True Interpretation: Izuna's Notes

Uchiha Fire Style True Interpretation · Annotations by Uchiha Izuna

Uchiha Mai sent the brat Shisui away and hurried to Fugaku's home.

The clan head, Fugaku, was in a leisurely mood. Looking quite pleased, he sat in the main hall, fiddling with a tea set and practicing his tea-brewing skills.

From the side room came the intermittent cries of a baby, accompanied by the voice of the elder aunt Mikoto coaxing the child—likely changing diapers for the infant Itachi.

Indeed, no matter how cold-blooded a man may be, his heart is still warm. Even the most aloof, cool-headed hunk has moments of dealing with the mess of raising a child.

"Clan Head, did you call for me?" Uchiha Mai stepped into the main hall and asked with a hint of doubt.

Fugaku did not answer. He stopped his movements, pressed two fingers against a teacup, and slid it toward Uchiha Mai.

Mai took the cup, took a sip with a feigned air of sophistication, and lied through his teeth, "Excellent tea."

Uchiha Mai didn't know the first thing about tea ceremonies. Before he transmigrated, his favorites were whole milk and milk tea, followed by coffee, Red Bull, and various sodas.

Tea? He wasn't familiar with it at all; it didn't taste as good as... well, it didn't taste as good as bottled iced tea.

Fugaku also picked up his cup and took a sip. Seemingly satisfied with his own tea-brewing level, he nodded slightly and said slowly, "In the years just after the Second Shinobi World War ended, the shinobi world had not yet fully settled, and small-scale conflicts occurred from time to time.

Six years ago, Kumogakure sent a team to infiltrate the Land of Fire, intending to scout the defensive layout of Konoha. We received orders to eliminate that Kumogakure team.

Your parents took on this mission. Before they left, they entrusted you to the previous clan head, and they never returned.

A few years ago, when you applied to enter the Ninja Academy, I was against it.

The Uchiha are the number one shinobi clan in the world. We possess the best heritage and the teachers most suited to instruct you; there was no need to go to a place like the Ninja Academy.

It is a pity that you insisted. I was not the clan head at the time and had no authority to stop it. Looking at it now, you were right to go to the Ninja Academy.

Mai, you did very well today."

"Which part are you referring to, Clan Head?" Uchiha Mai asked, confused.

"All of it." Fugaku chuckled and patted Uchiha Mai on the shoulder.

Although he had sent Asuma to the hospital again—and right in front of the Hokage—it was all worth it.

Being able to join Namikaze Minato's team was worth more than just sending Asuma to the hospital; even sending him to the intensive care unit wouldn't have mattered.

Who was Namikaze Minato?

A disciple of the Sannin Jiraiya, an elite jonin at eighteen, and one of the most popular shinobi in Konoha with a limitless future.

Who was Jiraiya?

A direct disciple of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. Ten years ago, he was already able to fight the demigod Hanzo alongside Orochimaru and Tsunade. Now, his strength had progressed even further, not inferior to the Hokage himself.

Jiraiya's reputation was currently resounding; he and the "Cold Lord" Orochimaru were both top contenders to be the next leader.

Rounding it up, what Uchiha Mai did was equivalent to what Kagami Uchiha had done back in the day.

Kagami Uchiha was a student of Tobirama and one of his team members. He was of the same generation as Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo, and Tobirama held him in high regard.

It was common knowledge that Tobirama disliked the Uchiha. He developed various jutsu specifically to counter them and, after becoming Hokage, never forgot to use various overt schemes to force the Uchiha into rebellion.

The existence of Kagami greatly eased the relationship between the Uchiha and the Hokage's faction, preventing Tobirama from wiping out the Uchiha entirely.

For a moderate like Fugaku, Uchiha Mai becoming a student and team member of Master Minato was nothing short of a surprise gift from heaven.

Mai pondered for a moment and understood why Fugaku was so happy. Sigh, my old uncle, he really worries himself to death for the sake of the Uchiha.

"What did Minato say during the meal today?" Fugaku's tone was casual, as if they were just chatting about daily life.

"Nothing much. Aside from some trivial matters, he mentioned that starting tomorrow, we will begin several days of collaborative training."

"Collaborative training, huh..."

Fugaku stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Mai, you have already awakened the Sharingan, haven't you?"

"Yes, Clan Head. I awakened it not long ago." Uchiha Mai nodded.

Fugaku was satisfied with Mai's honesty and continued, "Awakening it at eight years old is extremely rare among the Uchiha.

The Sharingan is the reason we can be the number one clan in the shinobi world, and it is the greatest reliance for almost every Uchiha who awakens it to become a jonin after reaching adulthood.

After awakening the Sharingan, our observational and reaction capabilities are significantly enhanced.

A Two Tomoe or Three Tomoe Sharingan can even observe an opponent's chakra flow and imprint the movements of others into images, storing them within the eyes.

The typical awakening time for an Uchiha is between 12 and 16 years old. With the Sharingan, we can learn almost any ninjutsu.

Pupillary power is one aspect, while powerful imitation and learning ability are another. This is why our strength increases rapidly once we awaken and evolve the Sharingan.

Since you have joined Namikaze Minato's team, you must perform well and strive to surpass Kakashi to become Minato's most outstanding disciple.

I have a book here; take a look at it."

Fugaku rambled on, then pulled a scroll from his robes and handed it over. Mai took the scroll and examined it; written on it were the words <Uchiha Fire Style True Interpretation -- Annotations by Izuna>.

Izuna, Uchiha Izuna...

Holy crap, this is high-end stuff. Uchiha Mai's pupils constricted as he marveled at the significance of this scroll.

The book Fire Style True Interpretation was something every Uchiha shinobi possessed. Mai had a copy at home, which he often used to weigh down his instant noodles.

But this kind of book was like a college calculus textbook or something profound like The Art of War; you wouldn't necessarily be able to glean anything from it just by looking.

If you want to learn, the best way is to have a formidable teacher, and the next best is to study an annotated version. An annotated version is equivalent to a calculus textbook filled with dense notes and highlighted key points.

Naturally, there is a gap in the proficiency of the annotators.

In Chinese history, there is a marvelous book called The Art of War. Throughout the dynasties, countless people have written commentaries for this military classic, the most famous of which are by Cao Cao and Du Mu.

Within the Uchiha clan, there are countless people who have written annotations for the True Explanation of Fire Release; after all, who among them isn't a Jonin?

However, the pedigree of those versions clearly does not compare to the one in Mai's hands.

Uchiha Izuna, the younger brother of Uchiha Madara. One of the awakeners of the Mangekyo Sharingan, he was a master of Fire Release. He was on par with the Second Hokage, Tobirama of the Senju, in both talent and strength.

The annotations he wrote are undoubtedly the cream of the crop.

As for Uchiha Madara... let alone whether he would even write such a thing, even if he had, ordinary Uchiha would not be able to learn from his Fire Release.

Seeing Mai recognize the origin of the scroll, Fugaku smiled and said, "You are an Uchiha clansman, after all; it won't do for you not to know Fire Release."

"This was annotated by Lord Uchiha Izuna. I will let you keep it for a few days; take it back and study it slowly, then return it to me once you have noted down the ninjutsu you wish to learn."

"While we have time now, see if there are any ninjutsu you particularly want to learn. I will demonstrate them for you, and you can record them with your Sharingan."